2023 MSU Row Crop Short Course
The 2023 Miss. State Univ. Row Crop Short Course is scheduled for Dec. 4-6 at the Cotton Mill Conference Center in Starkville, Miss. Click here for registration and hotel information and here for a link to pre-registration and to access a schedule of the conference activities and presentations.
Following are some presentations that should be of particular interest to Miss. soybean producers.
• “Enhancing Irrigation in Cracking Clay Soils and Unraveling Water Pathways” by Dr. Drew Gholson, Miss. State Univ.–DREC
The majority of irrigation conducted on the cracking clay soils in the Midsouth is applied to soybeans, so the above presentation will be of special interest to soybean producers who irrigate these soils.
• “Pivot your Thoughts: Overhead vs. Furrow Irrigation” by Dr. Dave Spencer, Miss. State Univ., WRRI
Irrigation applied to soybeans by these two very different methods requires a completely different management strategy, so soybean irrigators should be aware of this before deciding on an irrigation system to use.
Cover crops are considered a cornerstone agricultural practice for soil health improvement and carbon sequestration. The below presentations should provide Mississippi soybean producers with helpful information about their use.
• “Cover Crops and Soil Water Dynamics–a Texas Perspective” by Dr. Paul Delaune, Texas A&M Univ., Vernon, Texas
• “Cover Crop Management Considerations” by Dr. Kip Balkcom, USDA-ARS, Auburn, Alabama.
• “Nutrient and Cover Crop Management in Soybean Production” by Dr. Audrey Gamble, Auburn Univ.
The experiences of the below growers who have used and/or are using conservation practices in their farming operations should provide valuable insight into how to use these practices for benefit in soybean production systems.
• “Growers’ Perspective of Implementing Conservation Practices” by Mr. Chad Henderson, Mr. Jeremy Jack, Mr. Matt Miles, Mr. Reese Pillow, Mr. Gavin Sullivan, & Mr. Sledge Taylor.
Mr. Pillow is the current chairman of the Miss. Soybean Promotion Board [MSPB].
The below presentations should provide soybean producers with valuable information about how to combat the negative effects that plant pathogens can have on a soybean crop.
• “Mississippi Plant Pathology Update” by Dr. Tom Allen, Miss. State Univ.–DREC.
• “Fungicide Use in Soybeans: Should We Change Our Strategy” by Dr. Terry Spurlock, Univ. of Arkansas.
• “Economics of Managing Insect Pests of Soybean” by Dr. Ben Thrash, Univ. of Arkansas.
Dr. Thrash obtained his Ph.D. degree from Miss. State Univ. as the recipient of MSPB’s Hester Fellowship that was awarded in 2014. Click here for his project’s [No. 77-2014/16] Final Report.
Managing weeds in a soybean crop–especially weeds that have developed resistance to one or more classes of herbicides–is arguably the number one problem faced by Mississippi soybean producers. The information provided in the below presentations should help soybean producers minimize the negative effect of weeds on soybean production.
• “Managing Troublesome Grass Weeds” by Dr. David Russell, Auburn Univ.
• “Resistant Weed Management” by Dr. John Byrd, Miss. State Univ.
• “Weed Management in Mississippi” by Dr. Jason Bond, Miss. State Univ.–DREC.
• “Mississippi Soybean Production Update and 2024 Recommendations” by Dr. Trent Irby, Miss. State Univ.
Dr. Irby conducts the MSPB-funded SMART program in Mississippi, and has seen and dealt with many of the biotic and abiotic stresses that plague Mississippi soybean production. His presentation should provide the most up-to-date information and recommendations that will result in the most profitable soybean crop in 2024.
Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Nov. 2023, larryh91746@gmail.com